Social Action

Looking for opportunities to help? Start here! Over the years the Social Action Committee has dealt with a number of community issues -- from helping Russian Jewish immigrants to cleaning up bike trails. If you don't find what you are looking for or would like more information, please contact our Social Action Chair. We are always looking for more volunteers and new ideas.

On-Going Projects

Annual Backpack Project
Each year Congregation Beth Emek joins with an interfaith group to donate backpacks and school supplies to needy children in the Livermore public schools. We buy the packs and supplies, fill them, and deliver them directly to the children.

Annual Turkey Drive
Each year Congregation Beth Emek donates a number of turkey dinners to the needy of Alameda county.

Low Cost Senior Housing
Congregation Beth Emek is part of an interfaith group that oversees three low cost senior housing facilities in Livermore: Hillcrest Gardens, Vineyard Village, and Arbor Vista. At these facilities, the rents are subsidized by HUD.

Nothing But Nets
Malaria kills more than one million kids a year. To help change that, Congregation Beth Emek supports the Nothing But Nets campaign. To learn more, please visit the URJ's website. If you would like to support this worthy cause, please visit Beth Emek's Nothing But Nets team page and click on "donate" to make a donation or "join our team" if you would like to help by soliciting others for more donations.

Local Opportunities

Tri-Valley Haven for Women
Volunteer and Donation Opportunities for the Tri-Valley Haven for Women.

WISER
(Women's Institute for Secondary Education and Research)

The Women's Institute for Secondary Education and Research in Kenya, a partnership with Duke University's Global Health Institute, is building the first model all-girls secondary boarding school in Muhuru Bay, Kenya. The campus will include a community center dedicated to expanding the social and economic capital of women in the southern Lake Victoria region. WISER will provide the first potable water, solar power, and computer technology in the region.

WISER is dedicated to fostering a spirit of intellectual enthusiasm that will challenge girls to lead, serve, and ultimately reduce the gender equality gap in Kenyan society.

The groundbreaking ceremony was held November 27, 2008 and construction is underway as of early January 2009.

Click to read about President Carrie Arndt's visit to Muhuru Bay, Kenya and to read about the latest news from Kenya.

Click to visit WISER's website.

URJ Disaster Relief Fund

The Reform community has a long and strong history of generosity when floods or earthquakes devastate communities, when houses of worship burn in the fires of racial prejudice, when terrorism causes havoc, and when other disasters cause untold harm to people across the planet.

Visit the URJ's site to learn more about the Union of Reform Judaism's disaster relief efforts and how you can help.

Fair Trade Coffee, Tea & Chocolate

For many of us, coffee is an essential part of community -- a warm, invigorating beverage to enjoy in the company of friends and neighbors. But it is also a vital source of income for thousands of small farmers and their families in some of the poorest countries in the world. And as the prices paid to coffee farmers have plummeted to historic lows, these communities have been devastated. more…

Fair Trade Order Form